My life is now complete.

See it and believe it.

Yes, it's true. I made boba, at home, from scratch (more or less). Not just any boba, but boba with Thai iced tea and soy milk. I am happy to report, it was, in fact, the best boba I have ever had in my entire life. (and I know my boba, believe you me). This beverage could not have been made without the generous gift of dried tapioca, "black tea dust number one brand" and a magical cloth strainer from Nok's amazing parents.


So, there's the answer to those of you who've been wondering. . . "Geeeeez, Melissa! Two whole weeks off of work! What have you been doing with all your free time???"


Making boba.


Other things I have been doing with my free time include:
Going to the gym.
Sitting and catching up with friends over $6 cups of coffee.
Crafts.
Listening to radio shows on the internet.
Reading.
Buying new music.
Drinking as many hot beverages as my bladder can take.
Sleeping.
Cleaning things.
NOT replying to emails.
NOT making new lesson plans.
NOT studying Japanese.
NOT updating my blog.
NOT traveling.
NOT filling out thank you cards.


You win some, you loose some. But all in all it's been pretty much awesome.

(Oh, and I AM sorry about the not replying to emails/ not filling out thank you cards bit. Those actions do not reflect a lack of appreciation, nor the absence of a desire to keep in touch.
It just means I'm behaving like a lazy person, and most likely out and about paying too much to do too little.)

one, two, three

1. Have you ever noticed that some people gain weight in their earlobes? I realized this for the first time last week, when I was testing one of my chubbier students. I think that he is adorable, and have to fight off the urge to hug him whenever I see him. This makes fair grading extremely difficult. He's not the best at English, but how can I fail someone who looks so huggable?
Anyhow, while he was struggling through giving directions to the Post Office for his speaking test, I was staring at his earlobes. The thought struck me; at what point does your body decide to start distributing excess fat to your ear lobes? Do some people put on weight in their ears more quickly than others? Do your ears sweat? How does one "tone-up" an earlobe? Have you ever heard someone say, "I'm sorry, I can't eat that. It'll go straight to my lobes."? I suppose if I could choose where to deposit a little extra chubbiness, my ears wouldn't be the worst place to put it. After all, I could always grow my hair out.

2. Have you ever wondered how Japanese school girls keep their knee socks perfectly placed at all times? Well, I do. At least, I did, until I uncovered their secret. I've worn knee socks and it's no easy task, let me tell you. One is always sliding down, while the other stays neatly in place. Why don't they slide down together? At least that way they'd match. But no, oh no, they have some sort of tag team arrangement going on, where they take turns driving the knee sock wearer crazy. What is the Japanese school girl secret? They glue stick their socks in place! BELIEVE IT! I saw it with my own two eyes on the train. They really do think of everything in this country.

3. One of the girls I tutor calls me "teach teach" and I love it.